Spencer, IA -- Among the great literary figures of our time, few have made as much money as fast as Dewey, the Iowa library cat. To the astonishment of the US literary fraternity, a New York publisher has paid $1.25million for a book about the life of a fluffy orange cat that lived for 19 years in a library.

The happy recipient of what is believed to be a record advance for a book about a pet is Vicki Myron, the librarian who looked after Dewey in Spencer, Iowa. Publishing executives calculate that the book will need to sell at least 250,000 hardback copies to cover the cost of the advance. The Dewey deal was remarkable because the book has not been written yet. Myron earned her advance on the basis of a 45-page proposal that included 10 photographs of Dewey lounging around the library. Grand Central has commissioned a ghostwriter to do the actual writing.

The cat was adopted by staff at the Spencer library after he was found as a kitten shivering in a bin of returned books in January 1988. The city council approved a decision to allow the cat to remain at the library. He was named after the Dewey decimal system used to catalogue books and lived at the library until his death last November.

His duties included reducing stress for all humans who pay attention to him, sitting by the front door every morning at 9:00 am to greet the public as they enter the library, sampling all boxes that enter the library for security problems and comfort level, attending all meetings in the Round Room as official library ambassador, providing comic relief for staff and visitors whenever possible, climbing in book bags and briefcases while patrons are studying or trying to retrieve needed papers underneath him, and generating free national and world-wide publicity for Spencer Public Library by sitting still for photographs, smiling for the camera, and generally being cute.

Dewey’s rules for all cats running libraries, from the Spencer Public Library website:

STAFF: If you are feeling particularly lonely and wanting more attention from the staff, sit on whatever papers, project, or computer they happen to be working on at the time—but sit with your back to the person and act aloof, so as not to appear too needy. Also, be sure to continually rub against the leg of the staff person who is wearing dark brown, blue, or black for maximum effect.

PATRONS: No matter how long the patron plans on staying at the library, climb into their briefcase or book bag for a long comfortable sleep until they must dump you out on the table in order to leave.

LADDERS: Never miss an opportunity to climb on ladders. It does not matter which human is on the ladder. It only matters that you get to the top and stay there.

CLOSING TIME: Wait until 10 minutes before closing time to get up from your nap. Just as the staff is getting ready to turn out the lights and lock the door, do all your cutest tricks in an effort to get them to stay and play with you. (Although this doesn’t work very often, sometimes they can’t resist giving in to one short game of hide & go seek.)

BOXES: Your humans must realize that all boxes which enter the library are yours. It doesn’t matter how large, how small, or how full the box should be, it is yours! If you cannot fit your entire body into the box, then use whatever part of your body fits to assume ownership for naptime. (I have used one or two paws, my head, or even just my tail to gain entry and each works equally well for a truly restful sleep.)

MEETINGS: No matter the group, timing, or subject matter, if there is a meeting scheduled in the meeting room—you have an obligation to attend. If they have shut you out by closing the door, cry pitifully until they let you in or until someone opens the door to use the restroom or get a drink of water. After you gain entry, be sure to go around the room and greet each attendee. If there is a film shown or slide show, climb on any table close to the screen, settle in and watch the film to conclusion. As the credits roll, feign extreme boredom and leave the meeting before it concludes.

And the library cat’s golden rule for all time…. “Never forget, nor let humans forget, that you own the joint!”

The place won’t be the same without him.